WELL DONE Dame Maggie Smith. The 76-year-old star of ITV’s popular upstairs/downstairs Sunday night drama Downton Abbey recently bagged the Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries gong at the Emmys for her role as the acid-tongued matriarch Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham. It’s further proof that her character, usually addressed as Lady Grantham, could go down as one of TV’s finest.
Dame Maggie Smith, who also starred as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, is still on top form in the new series of Downton. By means of celebration, here are seven of Lady Grantham’s most magnificently spiky quotes from the period drama…
1. Lady Grantham meets kindly Isobel Crawley for the first time
Mrs Crawley: “What should we call each other?”
Lady Grantham: “Well, we could always start with Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham.”
2. Lady Sybil has attended a political meeting, Lady Grantham isn’t very impressed
Lady Mary: “Sybil is entitled to her opinions.”
Lady Grantham: “No. She isn’t until she is married, then her husband will tell her what her opinions are.”
3. Lady Grantham shoots the breeze with her nemesis Isobel Crawley
Lady Grantham: “You are quite wonderful the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming zeal.”
Mrs Crawley: “I take that as a compliment.”
Lady Grantham: “I must have said it wrong.”
4. Lady Grantham sticks a boot into “the help”
Lord Grantham: “We better go in soon or it isn’t fair to Mrs Patmore.”
Lady Grantham: “Oh, is her cooking so precisely timed? You couldn’t tell.”
5. Lady Grantham sums up her relationship with her American daughter-in-law
Cora: “Are we to be friends then?”
Lady Grantham: “We are allies, my dear, which can be a good deal more effective.”
6. Lady Grantham confirms suspicions about the questionable upper class work ethic
Lady Grantham: “What is a weekend?”
7. Lady Grantham and Cora spot Downton heir Matthew’s new fiancée
Lady Grantham: “So, that’s Mary’s replacement. Well, I suppose looks aren’t everything.”
Cora: “I think she seems rather sweet. I’m afraid meeting us all together must be very intimidating.”
Lady Grantham: “I do hope so.”
Downton Abbey Series 1 is available On Demand from 12 January.
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